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Wainwright
 Wainwright
is located on the Chukchi Sea coast, 3 miles northeast of the Kuk River
estuary. It lies at approximately 70° 38' N Latitude, 160° 01' W
Longitude (Sec. 24, T015N, R032W, Umiat Meridian). The community is
located in the Barrow Recording District. The area encompasses 4 sq.
miles of land and 12 sq. miles of water.
In 1826, the Wainwright Lagoon was
named by Capt. F.W. Beechey for his officer, Lt. John Wainwright. A map
of 1853 indicates the name of the village as "Olrona." Its Inupiat name
was "Olgoonik." The region around Wainwright was traditionally
well-populated, though the present village was not established until
1904, when the Alaska Native Service built a school here and instituted
medical and other services. The site was reportedly chosen by the
captain of the ship delivering school construction materials, because
sea-ice conditions were favorable for landing. A post office was
established in 1916. Coal was mined at several nearby sites for village
use, the closest about 7 miles away. Today, though, most houses are
heated by fuel oil. An Air Force Distance Early Warning Station was
constructed nearby.
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